Review: Spinning Man

Did he or didn't he? That is the central question of Spinning Man, based on a novel by George Harrar and starring Guy Pearce and Pierce Brosnan. Whilst screenwriter Matthew Aldrich occasionally raises intriguing philosophical questions on truth and memory, the film is ultimately a limp if somewhat serviceable dramatic thriller that's nearly bereft of thrills.

Pearce plays Evan Birch, a family man and esteemed professor, who would, on the surface, seem the least likely suspect in connection with the disappearance of a high school girl (Odeya Rush). Yet director Simon Kaijser is quick to establish the reasons why Evan is a viable candidate. His wife Ellen (Minnie Driver) alludes to an incident years prior that caused them to move to another state. A student (Alexandra Shipp) apologises for what happened the previous semester. Though he presents himself as an upstanding sort who would never cross the line with his students, it's clear from his fantasies that he definitely entertains it.

Then there's the circumstantial evidence that connects him to the missing girl, evidence which puts him in the crosshairs of Brosnan's dogged detective Robert Malloy. "What I perceive as the truth is the best my memory will allow," Evan continuously states in one form or another throughout the film, and what his memory allows often seems to run counter to what Malloy discovers. Evan claims not to have ever met the victim, yet strands of the girl's hair are found in his car. The scenes between Pearce and Brosnan are the most interesting parts of the film; one strongly senses how both men admire and respect each other's intelligence and how both glean enjoyment from their cat and mouse game.

Unfortunately, the film attempts to be too clever for its own good and ends up being a soft-boiled mess. The resolution, if one can call it that, does adhere to the idea of multiple versions of the truth, but doesn't use it to maximise impact.

Spinning Man

Directed by: Simon Kaijser

Written by: Matthew Aldrich; adapted from the novel by George Harrar

Starring: Guy Pearce, Pierce Brosnan, Minnie Driver, Alexandra Shipp, Odeya Rush, Clark Gregg